One Step Closer
by Dragonmaster1
Summary: Spike decides to stay with the AI squad after his torment at the hands of Dana, when a powerful renegade from the Watcher's Council decides that LA looks a whole lot better than England. Will be SLASH.
1. Messages

****

Title: One Step Closer

Author: Dragonmaster

Rating: R - eventually.

Genre: Action/Adventure - Drama

Category: Angel/Buffy the Vampire Slayer X-over.

Pairings: None now, will be Angel/Buffy, Gunn/Fred, and Spike/Xander.

Warnings: SLASH. Kinda dark. Torture. Spoilers up to and including "Damage," then it goes AU. 

Disclaimer: Joss owns all. I just like to torment them.

Summary: Spike decides to stay with AI squad at Wolfram & Hart and is recovering from his torment at the hands of Dana, when powerful renegade from the Watcher's Council decides that LA looks a lot better than England.

One Step Closer

By: Dragonmaster

Spike was looking far too cheerful for Angel's liking. The blonde menace had all but skipped into his office, and was now perched on top of a conference table happily demonstrating the uses of his newly-healed hands.

"No scarring too. It's brilliant!" the younger vampire enthused.

Angel scowled at his grandchilde as he was flipped off for the eighth time. "Wonderful, Spike. Can't you go show someone else? Like a hungry Vahrall demon?"

"Don't get you knickers in a twist, Peaches," Spike sneered, hopping off the table. "I've got lunch with Fred today. She'll be happy for me." With a swirl of his trademark duster, the Brit left.

With a sigh, Angel put down the papers he had been going over when Spike had interrupted him. Having the blonde around was wearing down his patience. He was happy that Spike and Fred had formed an unexpected bond, though; it kept the younger vampire out of his hair most of the time.

A knock at the door brought the Eire back to reality. Wesley poked his head around the door. "Do you have a few minutes free?" he asked.

"Yeah, Wes, come in," Angel said, putting the paperwork to one side. "What is it?" he asked as his friend took a seat.

"I just received a fax from my contact in the Watcher's Council," Wesley said, still speaking quietly.

"About Dana?"

Wes shook his head. "No, he didn't even mention her. It was a warning, actually."

Angel frowned. "A warning?" He snorted derisively. "Let me guess, they don't want us working on what they deem as "Council business" and if we go near another Slayer again, they'll wipe us out?" Angel was still hurt by Andrew's message before he and the other Slayers took the crazed Slayer, Dana, into custody. Buffy saw him and his team as the enemy because they now ran Wolfram & Hart.

"Surprisingly, no," Wesley said dryly. "They want our help. Seems one of the Council's Special Operatives escaped, killing four men in the process. He's said to be violent, unpredictable, and mentally unstable. My contact reports that he's been seen in the Los Angeles area."  
"Why can't the Council catch him?"

"That's the catch," Wes smirked grimly. "He can kill by using only his mind. He's telepathic."

Angel sat back and rubbed his temples. "Just what we need right now," he muttered. "Did your contact give us his name? A description?"

Wesley flipped through some papers before selecting a document. "No name was given, my contact had only seen him. He's about six feet tall, large build, shoulder-length dark hair. Only distinguishing features are a missing left eye and three faint scars on his left cheek." The Brit handed Angel the file.

"At least they were kind enough to give us details. A name would have been nice though," Angel mused as he absently flipped through the file.

"He probably changes it fairly frequently," commented Wesley. "Do you want me to get Security on the case?"

The vampire shook his head. "No," he said, "give them his description and tell them to notify either you, Gunn, or me if he's spotted. Make sure it's clear that they're not to approach him. The last thing we need is a rogue telepath at our throats."

"Anything else?"

Angel closed the file and handed it back to Wesley. "Get Harmony to make copies of this for the rest of the crew. Give copies to Knox, Dan, and Spike as well."

Wesley looked up, surprised. "Spike I can understand, but Knox and Dan?"

"Fred and Lorne trust them," Angel pointed out.

"Yes, but-"

"But what?" Angel snapped, his patience slowly running out.

"Can we trust them? The message was addressed to Angel Investigations, not Wolfram & Hart," Wesley said patiently. "Whoever gave this to my contact must not want anyone outside our squad to know about it."

Angel thought about that. It did make sense, he had to admit. "Do you think Buffy could've sent it?" he asked casually, trying to hide the hope in his voice.

The ex-Watcher gave the vampire a faint smile. "Judging by our last encounter with the Council? No, I highly doubt it. She sees us as the enemy now, as does Rupert Giles. Xander Harris wouldn't send the message either; he's always hated us."

"So whom does that leave us with?" Angel mused. "Willow?"

"Or Faith," Wes agreed. "My contact isn't with the Council, and the message was sent through a secure channel. I can't trace it."

Angel frowned. "Why didn't you route it though Intelligence? They'd be able to trace it."

"We're keeping this quiet, remember?" Wes reminded the Eire. "Though I suppose I could get Fred on it."

The Irish vampire nodded and got to his feet. "Do that, and make those copies. Tell everyone to meet here in an hour."

Wesley nodded. "Right, boss," he said with a small grin, then turned and left.

With a sigh, Angel ran a hand through his overly gelled hair. He already had enough to deal with; now he had the issue of the berserk Council Operative as well.

He glanced up at the clock and cursed softly as he realised what time it was. He had completely forgotten about his meeting with Gunn and the Krish-na demon tribe. The vampire quickly grabbed his files and rushed out of his office.

"Harmony!"

"Yeah, boss?" The blonde vampiress looked up eagerly.

"Tell Wesley to move our meeting to two hours from now," said Angel. "He'll know what I'm talking about."

Harmony nodded. "You got it, boss," she said with a smile.

That settled, Angel rushed toward the conference room, hoping that Gunn was able to come up with a good excuse for his tardiness. Krish-na demons were rather finicky when it came to punctuality...

****

Author's Note: First attempt at writing an Angel fic, though I have been writing for Buffy for a while now. Hope you guys like it! There will be slash later on, so all you anti-slash people, beware!


	2. Encounter

Chapter Two

"The Watcher's Council is speaking to us again?" Spike snorted derisively. "Figures. They're friendly when they want something, but otherwise we're not better than horse shit," he grumbled. Tossing the file on Fred's desk, the young vampire leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms behind his head, adopting a relaxed pose. "Sod them."

Fred smiled and hit Spike lightly on his shoulder, laughing at her friend's mock-injured expression. She took a bite of her sub and looked over the file again. "You have to admit, it's intriguing," she said. "I mean, apparently he was fine before the Council refused to let him go. That's when he killed those men." She looked up, meeting Spike's gaze. "Why didn't they just let him go?"

"He was a Special Operative, an' a mind-reader as well. They wouldn't let someone like that just leave; he knows too much and he's simply too powerful to let live," Spike drawled, an expression of disgust briefly flickering across his angular features. "Bloody Watchers wouldn't be able to stand it if there was something that powerful that they couldn't break and use for their own devices."

Fred nodded morosely, knowing that what her friend said was true. She was about to change the topic when Spike suddenly held up a hand and sniffed the air.

"What is it?" the young woman asked quietly.

Spike looked at her gravely. "Blood," he replied. "Lots of it. Human."

Fred's eyes widened and reached for the phone. "Can you tell where?" she asked, hoping the vampire's sensitive nose would be able to track the scent.

"Security level. I'm going down there," Spike said, jumping out of his chair and racing for the door.

Torn, Fred glanced at the phone in her hand, then at the door where Spike had just left through. No alarms had been sounded, but then again, her friend was rarely mistaken when he smelled blood. It was entirely possible that the guards had been killed before they had the chance to sound the alarm. 

Making a quick decision, the young scientist slammed the phone back in its cradle and ran after the Brit.

~*~*~*~

When Fred arrived at the Security level, Spike was nowhere to be found. In fact, the entire floor seemed deserted. Confused, Fred slowly moved down the corridor, her footsteps sounding impossibly loud in the silence.

There was a light on in one of the control rooms. Steeling herself, Fred reached out to open the door - only to find that she couldn't move. Panicking, Fred willed her legs to move, her hand to move, anything to show some response.

"Don't struggle," a quiet voice said from somewhere to her left. "I'll let you go if you promise not to scream."

_How can I agree if I can't move?_ Fred thought frantically.

"Think it," the voice replied to her unspoken thought.

The young woman's eyes widened as she realised whom her captor was. Mentally, she agreed not to scream or run for help, hoping that the renegade Operative would pick up her thought.

At once, she was released. Gasping, Fred sank to her knees, trembling violently from the effort to free herself from the mental grip. She took several deep breaths to calm her nerves and after a moment, she could stand again. Then she remembered Spike and why they had come down to this level in the first place. Fear gripped her once more, she didn't know what she would do if Spike were gone; he had become her best friend since he arrived at Wolfram & Hart.

"What did you do to the guards?" she asked, looking around for the renegade. "Or to Spike?"

"Two of the guards are dead, the others are merely unconscious," came the soft voice. "The vampire is out cold as well."

"You killed the guards?"

A large shape appeared from the shadows, blood dripping from several wounds. The man was surprisingly much younger than Fred had originally expected. His long hair was stuck to his face and neck from sweat and his skin was an unhealthy grey. Giving Fred a weak smile that did not reach his single eye, he said, "call it self defence. I only killed those who shot me."

Fred felt a wave of sympathy as she saw the man's wounds. Reaching for his good shoulder to steady him, she hesitated. "May I?"

"Go ahead."

Slipping one arm around the telepath's waist, she quickly examined his injuries. It was obvious that he wouldn't survive without medical attention.

"Do you think you can make it to the infirmary?" Fred asked, still wary of the big man. She genuinely wanted to help him, but the more rational part of her mind was screaming at her to run away and get Angel to deal with him.

He blinked owlishly at her, surprise evident on his rough features. "You're not going to turn me in? I know that your CEO is willing to help the Council," he said, speaking quietly, but steadily. Fred was amazed at his tolerance level for pain.

"We had a small, er, disagreement over the treatment of a young Slayer." The telepath nodded slowly and his eye closed, his body sagging against Fred's. The scientist staggered forward under the weight before managing to lay him down on the floor.

Checking the man's eye, she found that he had passed out. _Great,_ she thought bitterly._ Now how am I going to save this guy?_ She looked around, wishing Spike, Wes, Angel, or Gunn were with her.

Turning back to the telepath, Fred nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw the big man being lifted off the ground by a pair of pale arms.

"Come on, pet," Spike said grimly. "Let's get this pup into the infirmary." He turned and carried his burden over to the elevator. The normally hyperactive vampire was subdued and there was haunted expression visible in his sapphire coloured eyes.

Spike's abrupt mood change was not lost on Fred, and she made a mental note to talk to him about it later. She rose to her feet and jogged down the dimly lit hallway and into the elevator, wondering how she was going to explain this one to Angel.


	3. Reunion

Chapter Three

Loud coughing brought Spike out of his restless nap. Yawning, he rubbed sleep out of his eyes and turned toward the source of the coughing. The boy had finally woken up. Spike crossed his arms across his chest and glared, though deliberately not meeting the other man's eye.

"You've changed," Spike said weakly after a moment of attempting to look annoyed.

The younger man chuckled dryly. "That's all you've got? No, 'nice to see you, Xan?' No, 'how's the gang, Pirate-Boy?'"

"Harris..."

Xander Harris gave another humourless laugh and sat up. "Don't, Spike," he snapped. "I've had enough pity; I don't need yours too."

Spike blinked in surprise. "I wasn't-"

"Save it. I'm a telepath, remember? I can feel your pity." Xander tore off the bandages around his chest and shoulder, throwing them to the floor. Spike rose out of his chair to assist the younger male, but a sharp mental shove sent him back down hard.

"Look, Harris, I know you want to leave, but the doc's gonna need to continue your treatment," he said slowly, as if speaking to a wild animal.

Xander shot him a look of pure contempt. "She's done her job; I can finish it." Even as he spoke, the wounds in his shoulder and chest closed, leaving sensitive new flesh behind. At Spike's look, he explained. "As long as someone else starts the healing process, I can speed it up."  
"Handy trick."

"You have no idea. Now, before your friend tells Deadboy about me, do you mind finding me some clothes? Not exactly looking forward to seeing him anyway, and I'd really rather be dressed."

Spike nodded and tossed Xander a duffel bag that he had stashed under his chair. "I figured that none of my kit would fit you. Nicked some of Gunn's; he's about your size."

"He won't mind?"

"Nah. Not as long as you give 'em back after you get your own." Spike rose and gestured toward the door. "I'll wait outside until you're dressed, then I want to know why the Council wants you dead."

Xander's intense gaze didn't waver. "You'll hear it when I tell Angel and his team. I really don't feel like repeating myself."

Inwardly, Spike cursed. He was impatient to hear how the goofy man-child he had known back in Sunnydale had turned into a killer. Or a telepath, for that matter. With a tight smile at the human, the Brit left the room.

Ignoring the No Smoking sign, Spike pulled out a packet of cigarettes and his lighter. He tapped a cigarette out and lit it with trembling hands, cursing his shattered nerves. He never wanted to admit it, but he had always had a grudging respect for Xander. The boy's fierce loyalty and bravery had always amazed the vampire, and seeing him in the Security wing, single eye nearly black with rage and pain had unnerved Spike. He wasn't sure why he cared about what had happened to the younger man, but his demon roared its anger that something had _dared_ to touch what was his.

Wait. Spike quickly replayed his last few thoughts, and to his dismay, his fears were confirmed. His demon had acknowledged Xander as his. He groaned softly and let his head fall back and hit the wall behind him.

Xander sodding Harris.

"Love's bitch," he muttered to himself, taking a long drag on his nearly burned out fag.

"Who's a bitch?"

"Just thinking out loud, Fred," Spike replied without opening his eyes. Normally, he would explain his problem to her, but he didn't want to admit caring for the boy, as if not talking or thinking about his attraction would make it go away. Sure, he had fucked men before, and would easily continue to, but this was _Xander_.

Fred raised a delicate eyebrow, but let the comment slide. Spike knew that she would drag the information out of him sooner or later, and hoped rather fervently that it would be later. Much later. Preferably when she was drunk.

"How's the telepath? Has he woken up yet?"

Spike ground the cigarette butt under his heel. "He's awake. Won't tell me a bloody thing, though. He wants to wait until he can give all of us the story at the same time."

"So he's on our side."

"Seems that way. The Council was right about him bein' unpredictable, though. His mood swings are worse than the Poof's."

Fred laughed. "I find that hard to believe," she said.

"Believe it," Spike grunted. "Come on. I'll introduce you to the pup."

Fred was surprised to see the ex-Operative on his feet so quickly. When she and Spike entered the room, the young man was dressed and running a brush through his dark hair, looking like he had just woken up from a nap, rather than recovering from several gunshot wounds.

Spike leaned against the wall, his face not betraying any emotion. "Fred, this is Alexander Harris; Xander, this is Winifred Burkle, chief of the Science Department and the best mate a vamp could ask for," he stated with a faint smile in Fred's direction.

Xander turned to her and tied his long hair back with a deft twist. "I owe you my life, Ms. Burkle," he said quietly, a hint of warmth reaching his eye.

"Fred, please," she said smiling. "And I wouldn't go as far as to say that you owe me your life. I mean, if I hadn't found you-"

"I would've died," Xander finished for her. "Nobody else would've helped me. I reacted too quickly with those guards."

Spike cleared his throat loudly, raising his scarred eyebrow and giving Xander a pointed look.

"Fine, Bleach Boy. I reacted too quickly with you too."

"Bloody right."

Fred looked at the vampire, then the telepath, then back again. "You guys knew each other before this, didn't you."

Xander grinned. "Oh yeah. Me an' Spike go way back. First met him when I was seventeen and Angel offered my neck to him as a gift," he said airily.

"Angel tried to kill you?"

"Not really. We were a decoy, but Spike called Deadboy's bluff. Damn good thing too; otherwise I'd be Bleachy's pet for all eternity," Xander explained, taking a seat on the edge of the hospital bed.

At the word "pet," Spike's sky blue eyes darkened to a dark cobalt and he shifted uncomfortably. Fred shot him a questioning look, which he studiously ignored. The English vampire had been acting strangely ever since they had brought Xander into the infirmary. He had been quiet and subdued, rarely speaking and smiling even less. Fred was concerned, but knew better than to tell that to Spike. She knew just how insecure he could be.

"So, when's Deadboy going to see me?" Xander asked.

Fred checked her watch and frowned. "He should've paged me fifteen minutes ago." She looked at Spike. "Is he still in that meeting with Gunn and that demon clan?"

Spike shrugged. "Couldn't say. I've been here since we brought the whelp in."

"Aw, Spikey, I'm touched. You stayed in here until I woke up? You do care!" Xander teased, clasping a hand to his breast and speaking in a high voice.

"Wasn't like I had anything better to do, pup," Spike said darkly. "It was either stay with you or discuss bloody fashion with Harmony."

"Harmony? Harmony Kendall?" Xander sniggered. "You're still seeing her?"

"'Course not! She's the Poof's secretary, or somethin' like that."

Xander was laughing too hard to reply. The telepath had fallen back on the hospital bed, tears rolling down his cheek, his entire body shaking with mirth. Spike glared at him, which only made Xander laugh harder. Finally, the corners of Spike's mouth twitched and he gave in, joining the younger male in laughter.

Fred smiled as she watched the two men, not understanding what was obviously an inside joke, but not really caring. She was happy to see Spike laughing again and Xander showing some emotions. When she had first met the young man, he had been cold and uncaring. Now it seemed that Spike was the only one that made Xander show a bit of warmth.


	4. Joining the Team

Chapter 4

Angel glanced at his watch for the fourth time in five minutes. It wasn't like Fred to be late, and even Spike was normally on time. Now, they were both nearly twenty minutes late for the meeting.

Gunn looked over at the clock and let out a deep breath. "Why don't we get started? We can fill Fred and Spike in later," he said finally.

Angel nodded reluctantly. He had wanted to give the news with everyone present, but he also knew that it couldn't wait. The Eire got to his feet and picked up the pile of papers that Wesley had copied for him. "Wes received this transmission from his contact at the Watcher's Council this morning," he said. "It's a warning, urgent, from the sound-"

"Oi, wait for us, Peaches," came Spike's deep baritone voice. The young vamp stood in the doorway with an arm around Fred's shoulders. "We're part of the team too. 'Sides, I think we can 'elp with this little message." He grinned ferally. "Or, rather, _he_ can 'elp." While he was saying this, Spike gestured to someone off to his left.

Angel's eyes widened in shock as the young man stepped into the room with Spike and Fred. He hadn't seen Xander Harris in years, and wouldn't have recognised him if the boy hadn't been giving the vampire his trademark lopsided grin.

"Long time no see, Deadboy," Harris said with a grin.

"Xander," Angel said gruffly. "The Council send you to help us catch this guy?"

Harris shrugged and picked up a crystal paperweight on Angel's desk. "They didn't exactly send me," he said lightly, turning the crystal in his hands. "Actually, they don't know where I am currently, and I plan to keep it that way." His voice took on a hard note and a flash of anger flickered in his eye.

"Good Lord," Wesley whispered, staring at Harris. "You're him. You're the renegade whom the Council is searching for."

_"You were always the smart one, Wes."_

Angel was relieved to see that he wasn't the only one who jumped as he heard Harris' voice in his mind.

"Show off," Spike grumbled. Harris grinned at him and winked, much to the vampire's obvious discomfort.

"Can someone please explain what the hell's going on?" Gunn demanded. "Who's this kid?"

"And what does the Council want with him?" Lorne added. "Though don't get me wrong, Chico; it's great to have another sensitive around."

Xander took a seat on the couch and Spike sat next to him; Fred settled herself near Gunn. Angel pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes shut, wishing that he had just stayed in bed. He looked up and waved a hand in Xander's direction. "You might as well start at the beginning."

Spike unconsciously scooted closer to Xander as the young man began his story. At first, he had been impatient to learn what had happened, but now he wasn't so sure he wanted to know. The whelp had always been a positive, upbeat young man; now, he was cold, cunning, and full of pent-up aggression.

"It started about a week or so after Spike saved me from the First's priest, Caleb. I lost my eye in that fight, and Caleb called me 'the one who sees everything.' I didn't know what he meant by that at first, but a couple weeks later, I began to get an idea." Xander paused, taking a sip of the water that Fred had offered him.

"At first, I was scared shitless. I kept hearing thoughts that weren't my own, feeling emotions that weren't mine. I thought I was going insane. I finally had a special power, I wasn't just the donut boy anymore, but I wanted it gone.

"After the final battle at Sunnydale, I told Willow about my telepathy. She then told Buffy and Giles, who set me up with trainers. I trained with them for about a month when it became obvious that I was more powerful than even the best Council telepath. Soon, Buffy had me running missions that I didn't want to do. I didn't want to use my power to hunt people down; I wanted to use it to help people." Xander took a breath and looked around. Spike could see the pain in his single eye and noticed the rage just below it. He gripped the boy's knee reassuringly and Xander continued.

"I told Buffy I wanted out, that I wanted nothing more to do with the Council. She refused to let me go, saying that I owed her for all the times she'd saved my ass.

"I tried sneaking away, but she found me. Her Slayers brought me back to the Council and locked me up. Buffy told everyone that I was unstable and the power had gotten to my head, when in reality, it was the other way around."

Xander turned to face Spike, speaking softer now. "I refused to take it anymore. When the guards came for my next interrogation, I killed them. I'm still not sure how I did it, but I just let go of my rage and pain. Using my Talent, I escaped from the Council and hopped the first plane back to California. I figured if anyone could hide me, it would be you guys."

Gunn frowned, still suspicious of the younger man. "How did you schedule plane tickets so quickly and without the Council tracking you?"

"I had a friend on the inside," Xander said quietly, a faraway look in his eye. "She booked the flight and caused a diversion, which allowed me to escape. As far as I know, she's dead. The Council never would've let her live after helping me."

Angel looked at him steadily. "Willow?"

"No. Faith."

Spike looked up, genuinely surprised. He remembered hearing how the rogue Slayer had once tried to kill Xander when he had tried to help her. She would've succeeded if Angel hadn't arrived at the last second and saved the teen. "Faith tried to kill you; hells, she nearly raped you!"

"Yeah, I remember. I didn't trust her at first, but then I remembered how she helped us out in Sunnydale," Xander pointed out.

The longhaired man got up and walked over to Angel, his injuries no longer even seeming to irritate him. "Basically, I'm offering my services to you and this firm, in exchange for giving me a place to crash and getting the Council off my trail." He held out his hand to the Irish vampire. "Do we have a deal?"

Angel hesitated and looked over at Wesley. Spike resisted the urge to answer for his grandsire

The ex-Watcher studied Xander intently, noting how much the younger man had changed since they had first met in Sunnydale. "I believe that having someone with your degree of power on our team would definitely be worthwhile," he said, still studying the young man.

Angel nodded and gripped Xander's hand. "Alright then. Welcome to the team."


End file.
